SANTA RITA, Guam – A 2016 North Paulding High School graduate and Paulding, Georgia, native is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.
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| Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Heidi Cheek |
Seaman Brandon Bradley is a hospitalman, responsible for basic medical screening and healthcare support for service members and their families.
Bradley credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Paulding.
“I learned to embrace change," said Bradley. "Getting accustomed to change is important in the Navy.”
Naval Hospital Guam is comprised of the main hospital in Agana Heights and two branch clinics, medical and dental, on Naval Base Guam. The hospital’s staff consists of 516 active duty and 201 civilians, contractors, reservists and volunteers who serve more than 26,000 beneficiaries.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
“Serving here is a learning experience and embracing the change of being away from home," Bradley said. "I have learned to take constructive criticism to grow and move on.”
Serving in the Navy means Bradley is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Bradley is most proud of pushing himself at boot camp and putting himself to the test to meet the swimming requirements of the Navy.
“It's one of my greatest moments,” said Bradley.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Bradley and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“For me, serving in the Navy is about growing as a person and challenging myself," added Bradley. "Giving the Navy a chance has already provided so many opportunities for me to accomplish something.”
Bradley credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Paulding.
“I learned to embrace change," said Bradley. "Getting accustomed to change is important in the Navy.”
Naval Hospital Guam is comprised of the main hospital in Agana Heights and two branch clinics, medical and dental, on Naval Base Guam. The hospital’s staff consists of 516 active duty and 201 civilians, contractors, reservists and volunteers who serve more than 26,000 beneficiaries.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
“Serving here is a learning experience and embracing the change of being away from home," Bradley said. "I have learned to take constructive criticism to grow and move on.”
Serving in the Navy means Bradley is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Bradley is most proud of pushing himself at boot camp and putting himself to the test to meet the swimming requirements of the Navy.
“It's one of my greatest moments,” said Bradley.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Bradley and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“For me, serving in the Navy is about growing as a person and challenging myself," added Bradley. "Giving the Navy a chance has already provided so many opportunities for me to accomplish something.”